


Within the Night They Go

by Skyelily1825



Series: The Missing And The Mirror [1]
Category: Oban Star-Racers
Genre: AU, Dark, Disappearances, Eyes, Gen, Horror, Missing Children, Mystery, Occult, Really Short Chapters, Spirits, Suspence, boarding school days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-05-25 10:22:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14975147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyelily1825/pseuds/Skyelily1825
Summary: Every year, something settles over The Stern Boarding School, something stifling and suffocating.It comes again and again, but it never leaves empty handed.





	1. prologue

Eva Wei thought her life was normal. Not happy by any means, but normal. She went to a normal boarding school that she hated, had normal teachers and normal class mates. Everything seemed normal, and it seemed that way for most of her first year at The Stern Boarding School. It's about half way through when something changes, when things stop being normal.  
She didn't know why, she didn't know when exactly it started, no one did.  
Eva hadn't noticed when some of the kids from other classes started acting weird, not until she walked into her own class. Everyone sat quietly, no one said a word. No one moved, and Eva walked caughtiously to her desk.  
The air wasn't the same in the classroom. Something was different, something was wrong, but no one in her class knew what had changed.  
When the teacher walked in it was like he couldn't feel it, like he didn't know something had changed.

But something had, and whatever it was had dug its claws into the student body.

...

It had only lasted a couple weeks, and when it was over there was a sense of relief that everyone could feel. By the next year Eva had almost forgotten about it, until it happened again.

The next year, and the one after that. Whatever is was, it kept happening.

...

By the time Eva was 12 she knew it would happen soon. She still didn't know what it was, but she knew it was coming.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The time had come again, like every year before. The halls were quiet as students moved quickly through them to their next classes. The air felt suffocating, as though speaking took too much oxygen from their lungs. Eva hurried like the rest of them to her class.  
Like every year she dreaded this time. Weeks of cloying apprehension. Everyone would be jittery, jumpy, and just overall try to hide from whatever thing had come over the school, taking away their safety.

Even after all these years, Eva didn't know what it was. What came over the school? What were they all so scared of? Why did it come back year after year? And why did their teachers never do anything?

The teachers always acted like everything was normal, like the halls weren't eerily quiet, like the students weren't all terrified. But they had to see! They had to notice the differences, the way everyone acted, the way the air felt, they had to see it, feel it. So why did they act like everything was normal?

 There had to be a reason, so why?

...

Once back in her room Eva breathed a small sigh of relief. She always felt better in her room. She didn't feel safe, not really, the feeling in the air hadn't left, but at least in her room she was alone.

Some say there's comfort in numbers, and in most cases that was probably true. But not this. In the halls where the students rushed through and the classrooms they sat in the feeling was stronger. It was like they were being watched, like prey.

The eyes of a hunter stalking them.

It stifled their conversations.

It clouded their minds with paranoia.

It filled their hearts with trepidation.

They could feel it on their skin, burning into them as they escaped to their rooms.

Eva shuddered at the thought of eyes following her hungrily. If the thing that settled over their school made her think of hunters and hungry eyes just what was it hungry for?

And why had it set its sights on them?

...

The next day Eva decided to stop by the school library after class. She needed answers, but she had no one to ask. She didn't trust the teachers. She didn't know why, but she knew only bad things would come from asking them anything. She had to find answers herself.

She picked out several books on her schools history, deciding if the school was the target then maybe there was something in its history that could tell her why and what the students were up against.

She almost wished she hadn't gone this route though when the librarian looked at her. There was something in her eyes that made Eva's skin grow cold. She couldn't place her finger on it, but she knew something was wrong.

She hurried out of the library with the history books and almost ran to her room. She locked her door behind her. She pressed her back to the door, panting, before slowly slidind down to sit, legs sprawled, on the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

She didn't get a chance to start reading the library books. She was honestly too scared to. She could feel the eyes watching her, even in her room. It felt like something had changed, at least for her.

The eyes hadn't left her yet. They watched her, like a predator that had picked out its prey. Her classmates didn't seem to notice, but she thinks the teachers have. There's something in their eyes she can't quite place, but she knows she doesn't like it.

As soon as the days classes are over she rushes to her room, locking her door. She still feels the eyes on her. She looks to the books sitting on her desk.

Now more then ever she needs answers.

She sits at her desk, opening the first book from the top of the pile. She reads, starting from the very first page. She doesn't sleep that night, just reading. She can't sleep with the eyes on her. She can feel them, staring down at the back of her neck.

She finishes the first book, feeling tired and defeated. She couldn't find anything in the first book, but she could still feel the eyes on her.

Sighing, she sets the book aside. Maybe it's in her head? Not everything, of course. But maybe she's just imagining the eyes on her now? She'll still need to read the other books, but she still needs to sleep.

...

She's woken from her sleep by a creeking sound. She almost doesn't notice, almost lays back in bed, till she hears it again. She sits straight up in bed, her eyes wide. She looks to her alarm clock.

3:00 A.M

No one's supposed to be in the halls this late. She can feel her heart thumping against her ribe cage. She almost jumps at the next creek.

She carefully, caughtiously, climbs out of bed, tip toeing to her door. She presses an ear to the door, listening. Light footsteps and muttering. Another student maybe? But who'd be crazy enough to be out this late at night?

The footsteps stop at her door. She stills and holds her breath. She strains her ears, trying to hear whoever it is.

"It watches as we eat. It watches as they teach. It watches as we sleep. It hunts us for our meat. Curious minds. Questioning minds. Minds it seeks to feast. Beware the eyes that seek or your mind it will feast."

Eva stood still, her body cold. She gathers her courage even as fear grips her heart. She unlocks her door, slamming it open. What she sees makes her stop cold.

Empty, eyeless, sockets stare at her from a gouged spectral face.

"You're next." And it disappears.


	4. Chapter 4

Eva woke the next morning, in her bed. She looked over towards her, once again, closed and locked door.  
"Was that a nightmare?" She placed her hand to her forehead. She still felt so cold, and every time she closed her eyes she saw that, that thing.  
What was that? Why did she see that?

_"You're next"_

She shivered at the memory of those words. She shakes her head. "No, it was just a nightmare. It had to be." She gets out of bed, going to the restroom before getting breakfast. She tries to ignore the feeling of eyes on her.

_"Beware the eyes that seek"_

She shakes her head vigorously, as if that would make the memory go away. It was only a nightmare, it had to be. She gets out of bed, heading towards the door. She needs to get breakfast.

As she nears the door she hears footsteps. She stops, going still. She hears voices, only calming down as she realizes it's just other students. She doesn't open her door till she hears them walk past though. She keeps her head down and her mouth shut as she walks through the halls to the cafeteria.

She waits in line, grabbing enough food to hold her over for the day. She doesn't want to have to come back out. That feeling only grows stronger as she pays for her food, feeling just as unnerved by the way the lunch ladies look at her as she did when the librarian looked at her just the other day.

She hurries back to her room, locking the door behind her once again. She wishes that could make her feel safe. She sets her food on her nightstand, not feeling very hungry. Looking over to her desk she sees the still unread books.

Sighing, she takes a seat at her desk, picking up the top book from the pile and opening it. She reads about half the book before stopping in her tracks. There, smeared onto the page in red, lies a message.

**_They're heartless, it ate-_ **

Eva stares at the words, feeling a sudden chill come over her. She dog ears the page, hopping she won't need to look back on the message.

...

Eva had trouble sleeping that night. She didn't feel safe. She kept the lights on, and her covers pulled tight, but it didn't help. She didn't feel safe because she wasn't safe.  
She wasn't too surprised when at 3 a.m she was still awake. She was surprised when she, again, heard footsteps in the hall. She hesitantly, timidly, climbed out of bed and tip toed to the door.  
There was the mumbling again, just like last night. 'Does that mean it wasn't a dream?' She wished that was all this was, just a dream, a freaky nightmare she could wake up from. But it really wasn't, was it?  
She pressed her ear to the door, listening.  
"In the night it strikes. There's no place to hide. Beware the eyes that seek, beware the fiends in human skin, there's nothing within. Heartless beings with forked tongues to mask their lies."

Eva bites her lip, figuring whatever this is is trying to warn her, she opens her mouth. "You know, it might be more helpful if you didn't speak in riddles." Her voice is filled with fear and nervousness that she tries to bury under lighthearted joking. She waits by the door, hopping for some kind of response. All she hears is silence that stretches on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took out the very end of this chapter. I liked it at first but I think it takes away some suspence feeling. I mean, granted, it's kind of obvious that she'll find more notes in the books, but she shouldn't look for them because she was told too.


	5. Chapter 5

She doesn't get much sleep that night, nor does she go to classes. She keeps her door locked, looking through the books, writing all the warnings down in a note book.

 **It ate their** \- what? What did it eat?

**There's no escape**

**It's too late**

**No where to hide**

**It lives in the woods**

**Never be alone, they know when you're alone**

Eva shivers at that, looking around her room after finding that one. She's alone, and she doesn't doubt that, whoever they are, they know. The fear naws at her, driving her to leave her room with a flash light.

She doesn't know what she's thinking, only that she's scared and needs to get help. She makes it to the phone in the now empty hallway.

She can feel eyes on her as she grabs the phone, quickly dialing a number. She feels the shadows creeping up on her and fights the urge to flee. She presses her back to the wall as she holds the phone tightly, listening to the rings. She isn't surprised when she gets the answering machine.

"Dad? It's me, Eva. There's something going on here," she speaks quietly, knowing he'll easily be able to hear the fear in her voice. "Something's wrong, please. I can't stay here. Please, get me out of here."

She sees something in the corner of her eyes and screams. She slams the phone down and runs as fast as she can.

She thinks she can hear something following her, but she doesn't look back to check. She makes it to her room, throwing the door open before slamming it shut behind her. She locks the door quickly before her legs give out. She falls to her knees, shaking and trembling, gasping for breath.

 She hears scratching at the door, looking up to see words appearing on her side.

_"Never tease the beast, next time it will catch you."_

Eva goes pale. It really was after her. She stares at the door for the rest of the night, she doesn't sleep.

...

She doesn't go to class. She stays in her room, reading and leaving her own messages.

"Never go out at night, even to call for help. It will find you."

"Don't sleep when you know it's close."

...

The next day she goes to class, if only so she's not alone. She brings her books, studying them until she finds something.

**_"If you're too scared then don't bother looking anymore, let it get you and be done. But if you want to fight follow the clues. Go to the 2nd floor, girl's bathroom, stall 3rd from the door. Good luck, don't be food."_ **

Eva stares at the message, writing that down in the notebook. After class she goes to the phone, calling the same number from the other night and waiting for the answering machine.

Dad, it didn't get me. It almost did, but I got away. I found some notes and clues from others in the past. I'm gonna try to fight it. Wish me luck. If I don't make it I want what's left of me hurried next to mom."


	6. Chapter 6

Eva goes to the girl's restroom, following the instructions on the note. She heads to the 3rd stall from the door, some semblance of safety coming over her as she closes the door. She can't place why she feels safer here as she looks around. At first she doesn't see anything out of the ordinary, but on a second glance she sees a tiny arrow pointing up.

She looks up, following the arrow, to see a loose tile above the stall. Seeing no other option, she climbs up the toilet, caughtiously moving the tile out of her way and reaching her hand inside. She pulls out a small black bag with a note stapled to it.

_**Dear future victim, good job finding this. My name is, or, I guess was if you're reading this, Jaclyn Spencer. I know it's after me. I shouldn't have checked out those books. You shouldn't have either. But we did. I think we all did. If you get a chance, look up the names in the books, see what happened to those of us before you.** _

_**I already know what you'll find. Missing. Disappeared. Runaway. Presumed dead.** _

**_If you're reading this I'm now among the list of those lost to this thing._ **

**_I started this after I found what's in this bag. Look if you must, but it's not a sight for the weak. Hopefully you're not weak. You'll join us sooner if you are._ **

**_I don't want it to get me, but I think it's already too late for me. But I refuse to die for nothing. I will fight._ **

**_I'm scared, but I'm going to be strong, for you, for everyone that has and will share my fate, so maybe one of you can get away. So, please, no matter how scared you are, please, be strong for us too. Be strong for anyone that might come after you._ **

**_Learn what you can, leave notes wherever you can to make it easier for whoever comes after you, and, if you can, add clues to this, other locations where you've found others of what's in this bag. Make sure if you find anymore that you stab them so it can't use them anymore. It will me angry, and it will come for you immediately, but it won't be able to use them anymore._ **

Eva stares at the note, seeing where others have added clues and locations. With shaking hands she opens the black bag, pulling out a clear bag with eyes pierced through by a nail file. Eva stills, holding in a silent scream. Her mind flashes to the things she's been seeing. The eyeless gouged faces.

In her hands is a bag of punctured children's eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not of anyone by the name used in this fix, it was a random name I pulled out of nowhere.


	7. Chapter 7

With shaking hands Eva places the clear bag back in the black one. She looks back at the note, a painful realization hitting her. "I-I'm going to die." Feeling her eyes start to water, she wipes at them, shaking her head. She takes a deep breath to calm herself before pulling out her notebook. She writes, first copying the note down, word for word, then she writes what was in the bags in as much detail as she can stomach, before finally moving on to the the listed locations and the names, even the little messages some kids left behind.

**_"mama, if you ever see this, I loved you with with all my heart -Clarri"_ **

**_"Hey, little bro, it's Henry. I know you probably won't see this, but if you do I hope you're doing well. Never be afraid to fight the monsters in life, okay?"_ **

**_"Aunty Sue, I'm sorry I won't be able to call you anymore. I still hope you get better - Marry"_ **

**_"To any future kids that find this, keep fighting. One of use has to make it out alive one day."_ **

Eva has a hard time not crying at some of the messages. These were kids like her. They had families and hopes and dreams, and they were just as scared as she is. But they were brave too, so she'll try to be brave.

She takes a few deep breaths to compose herself before putting everything back where it came from and cautiously opening the bathroom stall. As soon as she's out she can feel it watching her again. Dread fills her heart, fueling her to run back to her room and lock the door. She doesn't realize she's trembling until she's back in her room.

She leans against the door, slowly sliding down. Once on the ground she hugs her legs to her chest, pressing her forehead to her knees. She stays like that for a while, accidentally dozing off.

...

Her dreams are restless, filled with eyes she can feel but can't see and the sounds of something stalking it's prey. She wakes with a silent scream, gasping for breath. She looks around, eyes wide and frantic as she looks for any threats. She only let's herself breath easy when she sees nothing in her room.

She moves slowly away from the door, towards her rest where the library books sit. She pulls out her notebook, opening it to the most recent page.

The words **"if** **you get a chance, look up the names in the books, see what happened to those of us before you"** stand out to her. She opens the first library book, looking at the slip inside with the names of past kids on it. She starts to compare those names to the list.

Clarri, from the notes, is likely Clarrisa George. She checked the book out the same year Eva started school here.

Several other names stand out. Kathy Morris. Daniel Mikes. Celina McGovery. Jim Bicks.

She starts to write those names down on a separate sheet of paper. Every new name that's not on the first list is added to the second and immediately researched.

Clarrisa - missing

Kathy - runaway

Daniel - unknown

Celina - missing

Jim - runaway

Henry - runaway

Marry - missing

And the list goes on. Name after name. With so many gone it's hard to hope she might make it out alive. How has this place not been closed down? Didn't anyone care about Them?

She stays up late looking into all of them. Despite her nap she's drained by the end. She looks at the time. It's almost morning. She'll skip classes today, not like her grades would matter much longer if she died.

She looks through the locations she copied, searching for the most recent one.

**"In early morning light, rise with the sun, upon the roof look out towards the big willow tree, what do you see?"**

Eva sighs. Looks like she'll be going to the roof.


	8. Chapter 8

Eva yawns, rubbing her eyes as she sneaks out of her room. It's early, the sun only just starting to rise. She hopes she's not tempting fate, hopefully whatever it is it's already crawled back into it's hiding place to watch from a far. So far she seems safe, but she brought a wrench just in case. Even if she can't stab it she might be able to hit it hard enough to knock it out, or at least get it away from her.

She sighs in relief as she reaches the roof. The feeling of solitude and safety washes over her. She remembers, this was one of the locations. She looks to a loose brick, knowing there should be a bag of pierced children's eyes behind it. She takes a few steps back, not wanting to see that again.

She tears her eyes away from the spot. She hesitantly walks towards the edge to look out at the grounds. The note had mentioned the big willow tree that stood tall by one of the walls. She tilted her head. "What's so special about you?"

As she tilts her head the other way she sees something, causing her to jump back to a moment. Stepping forward and squinting her eyes as she tilts her head again, she spots it. Light from the rising sun. Her eyes widen, understanding why she had to come out early. Something's in that tree, and whatever it is is positioned to reflect the morning sunlight.

She nods, determination in her eyes. Someone left another clue, and she's going to find out what it is. She runs back towards the door, the sun now shining noticeably and other students starting to wake up and move around. She doesn't bother stopping to go back to her room, going straight to the front doors of the school. No one tries to stop her.

She heads straight for the tree once outside. Standing under it she looks up, wondering if she can spot whatever it is from under the tree. She pouts when nothing out of the ordinary stands out, and decides to start climbing. Normally climbing the willow tree is against the rules, but no one is around to notice.

About half way up the tree she finds a hollow facing towards the roof. She hesitantly reaches in, warry of finding more eyes, but her fingers trace over something smooth and cold, along with paper. She grabs the paper first, pausing at the sight of blood.

**"My name is Jenna, and it's after me. I'm dying. There's blood, so much blood. I grabbed this when I escaped it. I don't know what it is, but it wouldn't attack me while I had it, but it really wants it back.**

**I put it in a circle of salt. It, the monster, it hates salt. Don't let it get this back. Oh God.**

**I don't want to die."**

Eva feels her eyes water, feeling pity. She saw that name too, in the books Jenna Lee. She makes a mental note about the salt as she folds the note back neatly, placing it back where it was. She pulls out her key ring flash light to look into the hollow, not wanting to disturb it's contents anymore then she already has.

There, sitting in a circle of salt, lies a small silver mirror.


	9. Chapter 9

Leaving the note and mirror where they are, Eva heads back to her room, locking the door behind her once she's in. She immediately goes to her desk, grabing her notebook to write about the new things she's learned. She taps her pen against her chin, wondering what's so special about the mirror.

She decides she'll look into it after taking a trip to the kitchen, then to the restroom. She needs to get some salt, and she'd like to add that tip to the one left by Jaclyn.

...

"So, she's found it?"

"Yes, what are we going to do?"

"If she figures out how to break it we're doomed! She'll end us!"

"Calm down, honestly, you're acting like she's the first to find that mirror. She won't find out a thing, we'll get rid of her before she has a chance."

...

Eva, now with a large container of salt that she may or may not have stolen from the kitchen, sits in the bathroom stall, old note in hand, along with a fresh piece of paper.

**"Hello, my name is Eva. I think I've been seeing the ghost of those that fell before me, so, if you're the next victim and you're seeing spectral children with no eyes, well, I think they're just trying to warn us. Heck, if someone else is reading this I might be one of the ghost.**

**That was supposed to be a joke, but it didn't really lighten my mood any. I'm still pretty scared here. I don't want to die, and I really don't want to be a ghost. Why I die I want to move on and see my mom again. But I hope that's not for a long time.**

**Anyways, it almost got me one night. I was stupid. I tried to call my dad for help. It chased me, but I made it to my room just in time. A message was carved into my door, it said to never tease the beast, that it'd get me next time. So, yeah, don't be stupid like I was.**

**But, other then that I've been good. I followed the clues and notes. I found a mirror in the willow, it's in a salt circle. Apparently the beast doesn't like salt, but it really wants it's mirror back. I'm going to try to research it, and if I can't find out anything... Well, I'm not sure yet.**

**If I can't find out anything or figure out what to do with it I guess that'll be your job. If I fail, well, good luck to you."**

Eva sighed, adding her note to the first and putting them both back and leaving the rest room. She's about to head back to her room when she bulbs into someone. Normally, Eva would apologize, but she couldn't. Dread filled her entire being.

She jerked back, looking up expecting to see a monster, only to find one of her teachers.

"Oh, Eva, I was looking for you. You missed your classes, we're you feeling ill?"

Despite her teachers best attempt at concern Eva couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong. Her mind flashed back to one of the notes left in a library book: **Never be alone, they know when you're alone.**

_They?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, it's a cliff hanger. I wish I could say no worries, pt 2 will be up soon, but chances are I won't get to pt 2 until January. I want to focus and finish some w.I.p first.  
> But pt 2 should still be up in January.


End file.
